Chapter 193: Misty's Request
Seeing Ash and the others, Asahi temporarily set aside his interrogation of the Eevee Brothers.
With a smile, he greeted Ash. "Long time no see."
The last time they had met was during Ash's Pewter Gym evaluation… Had it really been almost two months?
Time sure flew by.
As for Ash's question about why he was here—
"I'm just handling a small tax issue."
His casual tone made the three Eevee Brothers feel like their chests were about to explode.
A fine that huge is just 'a small issue' to him?!
But Asahi ignored them, instead focusing on the Eevee in Misty's arms. "You said you found this Eevee?"
Misty shot Asahi a deep look before handing the Eevee over.
At that moment, Taiichi couldn't hold back any longer. "That's my Eevee!"
He rushed over.
"Taiichi!"
His three older brothers immediately tried to stop him.
In their eyes, Asahi was more terrifying than the devil.
Rushing up to him like that…
But then, Asahi did something that stunned them all.
He crouched down, gently handed the Eevee to Taiichi, and said warmly, "If trained properly, an Eevee doesn't have to lose to its evolved forms."
"Don't follow in your brothers' footsteps."
His gentle demeanor was completely different from before.
Taiichi stared blankly as Asahi stood up and turned to Raizou and the others.
"My people will stay here until the fine is fully paid."
"Let's hope this is the last time. If I catch you again, it won't just be a fine."
The three nodded frantically.
"One more thing…"
Asahi's gaze finally landed on Aki. With a meaningful look, he said, "The internet isn't a lawless place, 'Flareon Is the Best'."
With that, he turned to Green and Silver before casually asking Ash, "Wanna come along?"
Ash hesitated, but Brock and Misty quickly dragged him along.
Didn't he see how pissed the hosts were? Staying here would only get them beaten up.
Meanwhile, the League auditors prepared to collect the fine, leaving behind a dazed Aki…
No matter how hard he thought, he could never have imagined that the reason he got targeted was due to an offhanded comment he made months ago online.
The issue in Stonetown had come to a close.
On a grassy field outside Stonetown, Asahi pinched Pikachu's cheek. Just as Pikachu was about to explode, he swiftly handed it back to Ash.
Seeing Pikachu struggling to hold back its frustration, Asahi chuckled. "Looks like you've already earned the Fuchsia Badge, Ash?"
Following the normal travel route, Stonetown came after Fuchsia City, so if Ash was here, he must have already cleared the Fuchsia Gym.
Hearing Asahi's question, Ash quickly forgot about everything else and proudly showed off his newly obtained Fuchsia Badge.
"Of course! I won the Fuchsia Badge all on my own this time! And my opponent was none other than the Elite Four's Granny Agatha!"
Brock and Misty covered their faces.
They didn't have the heart to tell him—if Agatha hadn't gone easy on him, Ash wouldn't stand a chance of winning for at least eight more seasons.
Asahi found it amusing but played along, feigning surprise. "Really? Then how about a battle?"
It had been a couple of days since he last educated a younger trainer—his hands were getting itchy.
Especially since Gary, having learned his lesson, now refused to take the bait no matter what Asahi said…
Now that Ash was here, Asahi wanted to see if he could earn a new title by battling him again.
Behind him, Green and Silver averted their eyes, unable to watch what was about to unfold.
Silver, in particular, still had vivid memories of the battle at Azalea Town.
Ash instinctively wanted to agree, but before he could say anything, Pikachu quickly grabbed his face, stopping him.
"Mmff—Pikachu, what are you doing?!"
"Pika Pika!"
No matter what Ash said, Pikachu refused to let go.
Well…
Ash might have the memory of a goldfish, but Pikachu certainly didn't.
It still remembered getting flattened by that Eevee last time.
That wasn't a battle it could handle at its current level.
In the end, Ash couldn't overpower Pikachu and gave Asahi an apologetic look.
Just as Asahi was feeling a bit disappointed, Misty suddenly spoke up.
"I'll battle you!"
Hearing this, Ash, Brock, and Pikachu all turned to Misty in surprise.
Asahi also raised an eyebrow.
Misty, however, remained firm. "I want to apply for my Gym reevaluation right now!"
Ever since Cerulean Gym was shut down for restructuring, it had been a heavy weight on her mind.
For the past two months, she had constantly wanted to find Asahi for a reevaluation but had never managed to meet him.
Upon hearing this, the others suddenly understood—it was about that matter.
The suspension on Cerulean Gym still hadn't been lifted.
"Right now? Don't you want more time to prepare? You still have a month left before the deadline. Besides, the League is currently short on Gym Trainers. If you wait a little longer, the League Council might just approve you automatically—no reevaluation needed." Asahi suggested.
The previous shutdown of the Cerulean Sisters' Gym was mainly a warning to the other Kanto Gyms, meant to curb their declining standards. It was never meant to specifically target Misty.
Now that the overall Gym environment in Kanto had improved, Asahi was shifting his focus to the Johto region. Kanto's affairs were no longer his priority.
Misty hesitated slightly at Asahi's words but quickly steeled her resolve. "I want to clear Cerulean Gym's name!"
If she didn't pass a proper reevaluation, people would assume Cerulean Gym had bribed the League for an easy pass.
She refused to let her Gym be shamed.
Seeing her determination, Asahi could more or less guess her thoughts. "Alright… since you insist."
Turning to Green, Asahi gave her a look.
Understanding his intent, Blue took out a camera.
Then, Asahi looked for a referee. "Brock, you want to officiate?"
Brock had no objections.
With recording and officiating set, only the battlefield remained.
Asahi glanced at the grassy field before them, pondered for a moment, then—under everyone's surprised and confused gazes—released Mewtwo.
Ash and his friends had never seen Mewtwo before. Even scanning it with the Pokédex returned "Unknown Pokémon."
Meanwhile, Green couldn't help but wonder—was Asahi planning to use Mewtwo for Misty's Gym evaluation?
Did he hate Cerulean Gym or something?
First, he shut it down, and now he was sending out Mewtwo for the test…
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